Hoist controller



July 10, 1928. 1.677.108

A. E. JOHNSON HOIS! cou'rnomma Filed Oct. 17, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 swank f )4! red Mmm. 7 9- July 10, 1928. 1,677,108

A. E. JOHNSON HOIST CONTROLLER Filed Oct. 17, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill (will! 1 ll] #Zfred 6' 270%?25011.

\ akozmq Patented July 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES ALFRED E. JOHNSON, 01 DENVER, COLORADO.

HOIST CONTROLLER.

Application filed October 17, 1927. Serial No. 226,774.

This invention relates to controllers for hoistin engines and is designed more particular y with respect to the requirements of the service in mines.

In mines of various kinds, it is often necessary to hoist the material from the level at which the mining is done to the surface of the ground and to some distance above the ground where the material is dumped. In many cases the mine shafts are deep and it is essential that the hoist shall operate with the greatest efficiency consistent with safety. This necessitates a high speed of the hoist between landings and agradual slowing up at the bottom and at the top. The same hoists that are employed during working hours, for hoisting ;ore or coal, are also employed for lifting the men from. the mine and for lowering them thereinto. It is obvious that when thehoists are employed for handling men, they must be run at a much slower speed than when otherwise employed and the hoist must also be slowed up to a greater extent before stopping, hoists are usedfor handling ore, the cages are run up to a considerable distance above the ground and automatically dumped. This, of course, can not be done when men are being handled and on such occasions the hoists are stopped atthe man-landing near the surface of the ground. a

A successful hoisting engine controller must be so constructed that it will provide for all the conditions above enumerated.

i[t must limit the speed toward the end of speed must be reduced to that considered. sa fefor this purpose; and it must provide positive means that will prevent the :men from being carried to the ore dump.

It is the objectof this invention to produce a controller of simple and substantial construction, which shall be so constructed and designed that it will meet all therequirements above enumerated in an efficient and effective manner.

My invention can be best understood and rnest clearly-explained when reference is had When the to the accompanying drawings in which the present preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved controller with the cover removed and portions shown broken away so as to better disclose the construction;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the controller with the man hoist control lever shown in normal position by full lines and in each of its other twopositions; by dot and dash lines;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3--3, Fig. 2; A

Fig.4 is a section taken on line 44, Fig. and i i Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5, Fig. 4. 1 i i I In the drawing numeral 1 designates a base upon which the controller s supported and which may be secured to the floor by bolts or any other suitable means. A pipe 2 has its lower end secured inthe hub 8 of the base and has its upper end in an opening in hub t, which located on the under side of the base of the controller casing which has been indicated as a whole by numeral 5. The controller casing has a bottom 6 and vertical side walls? and 8 whose upper ends are connected by a semicircular wall 9 in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The back 10 is. formed integral with thecasing, which may be molded, and the front side of the casing is closed by means of the removable cover 11 Side walls 7 and 8 are provided with bearings 12 and 13 within which isjournalledthe shaft 14.- One end of this shaft is provided with a sprocket wheel .15, which may be connected to some rotating part of the hoist by means of a sprocket chain and the shaft 14. will therefore. rotate at a speed proportional to the speed of the hoist. A gear wheel 16 is secured to the shaft on theinside of casing and held .against rotation by means of .set screws 17 or in any other suitable way. A collar 18 is secured to the shaft near the inside of the vertical wall 8 by means of a set screw lt). The gear wheel 16 and the collar. 1.8 keep the shaft from moving longitudn nally 1n the bearings. Securedto the center of the shaft is a worm 20, which is lllf) angular position of these cams may be adjusted to suit the requiren'ients of the par ticular installation in a manner which will be hereinafter described.

It is apparent that when shaft. Ll is rotated, the worm gear 21 will be rotated through the action of the worm and as gear 21 is nonrotatably secured to shaft 22, the latter as well as the cam members .23 and .241 will be caused to rotate. The cam members occupy a position corresponding to the position of the cage in the hoist and the gear ratio is usually so proportioned that the cam members will 'make somewhat less than a completerevolution during the movement of the cage from the top of the shaft to the bottom. Vertical members 7 and 8 are also provided with two other bearings 26 and 27 within which is journalled a. shaft 28. A gear wheel 29 is secured to shaft 28 ad jacent'the under surface of the'vertical side member 7 and held against rotation by means of a set screw 30. Gear wheel 29 meshes with gear wheel 16 so that shafts let and 28 will rotate together. leeured to a shaft 28 adjacent the inner surface of vertical side 8 is a. collar 31 that is held in place by means of a set screw and this collar, to gether with the gear wheel 29, holds shaft 28 against longitudinal movement in its bearings. A 'wheel 32 is provided with a hub 33 through which the shaft 28 extends and is clamped to the shaft by means of a set screw 3a or by any othersuitable means so that the wheel 32 will be rigidly secured to the shaft so as to rotate therewith. One side of the wheel or disk 32 is provided with two sets of spaced ears or lugs 35 between which and to which the governor balls 36 are pivotally connected. Each of these govcrnor balls has an arm 37 that extends substantially at right angles to the axis of the weight or ball portion and projects inwardly towards the shaft. A collar 3S'is slidablv mounted on the shaft and is provided with a circular flange 39 adjacent the disk 32. The ends of the arms 37 are located between the flange 39 and the disk 32 in the manner shown in Fig. l. Bolts 40 extend through the disk 32 and the flange 39 and are each provided with a spring l9 which is located between the disk 32 and the head of the bolt and are under compression so that they exert a force tending to move the flange 39 towards the disk The action of the springs 42 tends to hold the governor weights 36 in the position shown in Fig. 1. lVhen shaft 28 rotates, the centrifugal force which is thereby produced tends to move the governor weights outwardly about their pivots and as these move outwardly the collar 38 is moved longitudinally on shaft 28 towards the left (Fig. 1). Shaft 28 is hollow for a portion of its length and journalled within the opening in the shaft is a rod 43. Shaft '28 is also provided with a longitudinal slot 44 through which the bolt 45 extends. When the collar 38 is moved on the shaft, bolt 45 will move longitudinally in the slot 45 and as it moves towards the left the rod 43 will be moved outwardly in av manner obvious from the drawing.

Secured to the outer or left hand and of shaft 14 is a friction disk 40. This disk is held in place by means of nuts i? and -18. Rotatahly secured to shaft 14: adjacent the inner surface of the friction disk is a drum L9. This drum isprovided with a deep groove for the reception of a chain whose end is secured to the drum by meansof a pin 52 and :1V coupling member 53. Slidably connected to the shaft 14 on the other side of drum lt) is another friction disk which has been indicated by numeral 54. This disk is provided with a tongue 55. which projects into a slot in the shaft so as to keep it from rotating on the shaft. Secured to the shaft 14, by means of a pin 56. isa collar 57. This collar is provided with diametrical radial slots within which are located the cam levers 58. These levers are pivoted at 59 and have cam surfaces (50 that engage the inner surface of the disk 5-}. \Vhen levers 58 are moved in one direction, the cam surfaces (it) cooperate with the disk 5 t so as to move it against the drum 50, whereby power can be transmitted from shaft 54 to the drum 50. through the friction thus produced. The other ends of levers 58 are provided with rollers (31 in the manner shown in the drawing.

A collar or sleeve 62 is slidably and rotatably mounted on shaftl l. This collar is provided with a. hub portion 63. which is formed of two cylindrical sections having different (lian'ieters. The part of the hub adjacent the flange (ii is of such a diameter that when the sleeve is forced outwardly to such an extent that the part 63 moves into position between the roller 61. the levers 53 will be spread apart so as to make the clutch medianism oprn'ate. lVhen the sleeve (32 is moved towards the right until the c vlindrical section of smaller diameter only projects between the rollers. the friction clutch mechanism becomes inoperative. For the purpose of moving the sleeve (52, l have provided the following mechanism. Sleeve 62 is provided with a groove 65 within which is located a roller 66 that is carried on a pivot 67 secured to the floating lever 68. The lower end of the floating lever is pivotally connected to the outer end of the bar 43 by means of a. pin (39. Av bolt 70 has one end pivotally connected to the floating lever at 71 and extends through an opening in the vertical side 8. A spring Til surrounds the inner end of bolt 70 and has one end abutting the nut 73. Spring T2 is under compression and therefore tends to move lever 68 towards the casing. The upper end offloating lever 68 is pivot-ally connected at 74 to a nut 75, that cooperates with thethreaded end 76 of a slidable pin 77. Pin 77 extends through an openingin the hub 7 8, which projects outwardly from the vertical side 8 in the manner shown in Fig. 3. A control lever 79 provided intermediate its ends with a hub 80 that has an opening through which the pin 77 extends. The pin is secured to thelever 79 inv such a Way that it cannot rotate or movelongitudinally in the opening. lVhen lever 7 9 is rotated from either one of the dotted line positions shown in Fig. 2, the pin 77 will also rotate and this will cause relative rotation between the threaded end 76 and the nut 75. The nut 75 will therefore move longitudinally with respect to the axis of pin 77 Whenever lever 79 is moved. \Vhen lever 79 is moved so as to bring the handle portion 81 thereof downwardly,

the pin 77 will be rotatedin such a way that the nut 75 will move outwardly or away from the casing. From Fig. 1 it will be obvious that the position of the bolt 67 to which the roller 66 is connected will be determined by the location of the two ends of the floating lever. The position of the lower end of the floating lever is determined by the location of the bolt that is carried by the sleeve 38, and this is controlled by the centrifugal governor. The position of the upper end of thelevcr is controlled by the position of the nut 7 and this can be changed by rotating the pin 77 as above explained or by moving the pin 77 outwardly in the direction of its axis. It is obvious as the upper end of the floating lever is moved outwardly from the casing, the roller 66 which controls the position of the sleeve 62, will also move outas the position of the nut is moved out wardly from the casing. The speed at which the friction clutch becomes operative can therefore be varied by rotating the pin 77 and this is taken advantage of for a purpose and in a manner which will here inafter be more fully described. The inner.

end of pin 77 extends inwardly into the cas ing a short distance beyond the locus of the cam surface X. Attention may be filled at this point to the fact that the outer-ends of the arms 24 are provided with.

cams having three surfaces X. and Z, which are spaced different distances away from the center. As the cams revolve about the axis of shaft 22, the cam surface X will be the first toengage the end of the pin 77 and will move this outwardly a short distance. If the niovei'nent of the hoist eontinues the cam surface Y will engage the end of pin 77and move it outwardly a greater distance, and if the motion of the hoist still continues the cam surface Z will engage the end of the pin and move it outwardly to such a distance that the friction clutch i'neiihanism will be made operative regardless of the position of. the centrifugal governor. The purpose of this is to make it necessary for the engineer to reduce the speed of the hoist as it approaches the ends of its travel and to positively stop the hoist if it is not stopped by the engineer when it reaches the maximum limit of its travel. A grooved roller 82 is pivoted to the outer surface of the vertical side 8 at 83 and serves to guide a chain 8 1 which carries at its lower end a weight 85. The other end of this chain is connected to a pin 86 that extends inwardly from the lever 79 in the manner shown quite clearly in F 3. i The action of the weight tends to the releasing position indicated by C.

When the hoist controller is located close to the engineer, lever 79 can be manipulated by engaging the handle portion 81 but if it is located at a distance, it is controlled by means of suitable ropes connected. with the ends of the handle at points 87 and S8.

Secured to the lower end of the supporting pipe 2, is a casting 89, which is provided with a transverse bearing 90 through which the shaft 91. extends. Collars 92 and 93. are

secured to the shaft 91 and hold it against longitudinal movement in the bearing. Secured to one end of shaft 91 is a crank arm 94 to the free end of which the rod 95 is connected by means of a pivot 96. Rod 95 extends to a lever 97 that controls a b ake band 98 that engages a brake drum 99, which is connected with the hoisting mechanism. Secured to the other end of shaft. 91 is a crank arm or lever 100. This lever is located directly beneath the groove50 in the drum at9andthe lower end of the chain 51 is connected to the outer end of crank arm 190, by means ofa flat. link 101. lVhen the drum 49 is rotated, chain 51 will be coiled about the drum within the groove 50. As

thechainis being coiled onto the drum, it

exerts a force tending to move the crank arm 100 upwardlv or in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 2). As the shaft 91 is rotated through the action of the drum and the chain 51, the crank arm 94 is also rotated in such a direction that the rod 95 moves in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. The movement of rod 95 sets the band brake on the drum 99 and it is obvious that the force with which this brake is set increases during the movement of the drum 49. In order to set the brake as hard as posiible with the least amount of force, the crank arms 94 and 100 have been so adjusted angularly on the shaft that the lever arm that is effective for the purpose of moving rod 95 constantly diminishes as the force is applied, thereby increasing the tension in the rod 95 in proportion to the tension in the chain 51 as the brake is being set.

In addition to setting the brake, the movement of the rod 95 can also be made to control a mechanism by means of which the power is disconnected. For example, if the hoist is driven by means of an electric motor, the first movement of the rod 95 can be utilized to open the power circuit and to cut; oil the power, and if the hoist is operated by means of a steam engine, the same movement can be employed to close the throttle.

The operation of this mechanism is as follows: The sprocket wheel 15 is connected to the hoist by means of a sprocket chain in the manner above indicated and therefore when the hoist operates, shaft 14 will rotate at a 4 speed proportional to the speed of the hoist.

This will also rotate shaft 28 and the centrifugal governor. The parts are so ads justed that when the cage is passing from one end of its travel to the other, the speed can be maintained as high as consistent with safety, but if the speed becomes excessive, the action of the governor will move bar 43 outwardly to such an extent that the floating lever will move thecollar or sleeve 62 outwardly along shaft 14 to such a distance that the friction clutch mechanism becomes operative. \Vhen this occurs drum 4 9 will start rotating and this will immediately set the brakes and disconnect the power. As soon as the hoist slows down the governor will become inoperative. and the friction clutch mechanism will be released thereby permitting the brake to return to inoperative position. It is, of course, necessary to slow up thehoist as it approaches the ends of its travel. For this purpose, I have provided the arms 23 and 2a with three cam surfaces, X, Y and Z. hen the hoist approaches within a short' distance of the land ing, the cam surface X will move the pin 77 outwardly in the manner above explained. This moves the upper end of the floating lever 68 outwardly and therefore the speed will have to be decreased as the governor will become effective for the purpose of applying the brake at a considerable lower speed owing to the action of the cam surface X in moving the pin 77. \Vhen the cage approaches the landing place, the cam surface Y will become effective and move the pin 77 a greater distance outwardly, with the parts in this position the speed must be reduced a corresponding amount to prevent the operation of the device. During normal operation the cam surface Z should never become effective, but if the engineer should fail to stop the hoist, then when the cam surface Z engages the pin 77, the hoist will antomatically stop, regardless of the speed at which it is moving. If the hoist is stopped through the action of the cam surfaces, the friction clutch can only be released by mov' ing the lever 79 into the position indicated by letter C. When the hoist is used for handling men, the speed at which it is run must be decreased and for this purpose lever 7 9 is moved to position I. \Vhen lever 79 is in position 1.3, a contact member 102 will be moved into engagement with the insulated electric contacts 103 so as to close an electric circuit that controls the pilot. light 10 t, which is located on the controller and corresponding pilot lights located at the landings and at any other desirable position so that the men can tell by an inspection of these pilot lights whether the hoist is properly set for man handling.

From the. above description it will be apparent that I have produced a hoist controller that is of a very simple construction and which operates entirely by mechanical means. In this construction I have dispensed entirely with magnets or other electrical devices with the sole exception of the pilot lights. This device is, therefore, very reliable for the reason that there are no delicate electric contacts that may corrode or otherwise become inoperative and the operator can tell by an inspection whether the parts are in working condition or not.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A controller, for use with hoists, comprising, in conibimition, a governor adapted to be operatively connected to the hoist so as to rotate at a speed corresponding to the speed of the hoist, and means for applying brakes to the hoist when the speed exceeds a predetermined value, said means comprising a shaft, means for rotating the shaft whenever the governor moves, a member rotatably mounted on the shaft, a clutch mechanism associated with the shaft and member and means controlled by the governor for operating the clutch.

2. A controller for use with hoists having a brake mechanism, comprising, in combination, a speed responsive device adapted to be operatively connected to the hoist so as to rotate ata speed correspondin to the speed of the hoist, a shaft, means for rotating the shaft when the hoist operates, a

lit:

drum rotatably secured to the shaft, means connecting the drum with the brake mechanism, said means applying the brake when the drum rotates, a clutch mechanism for transferring power from the shaft to the drum and means for rendering the clutch mechanism operative when the speed eX- ceeds a predetermined value.

3. A controller for use with hoists having a brake mechanism, comprising, in combination, a speed responsive device adapted to be operatively connected to the hoist so as to rotate at a speed corresponding to the speed of the hoist, a shaft, means for rotating the shaft when the hoist operates, a drum rotatably secured to the shaft, means connecting the drum with the brake mechanism, said means applying the brake when the drum rotates, a clutch mechanism for transferring power from the shaft to the drum, means for normally holding the clutch in inopera tive position and means for moving the clutch to operative position when the speed exceeds a predetermined value.

4. A controller for use with hoists having a drum and a brake mechanism, comprising, in combination, a speed responsive device adapted to be operatively connected to the hoist so as to rotate at a speed corresponding to the speed of the hoist, a cam mounted for rotation about an axis, means for interconnecting the speed responsive device and the cam so that the latter will be rotated about its axis when the hoist moves, a shaft, means for rotating the shaft when the hoist operates,a drum rotatably mounted on the shaft, a clutch mechanism associated with the drum and shaft for transferring power from the shaft to the drum, so as to rotate the latter, means controlled by the drum for rendering the clutch operative when the speed exceeds a predetermined value, means for rendering the clutch operative when the cam reaches a predetermined position and means for moving the brake to operative position when the drum is rotated.

5. In a hoist control device, in combination, a floating lever, a speed responsive device operatively connected to one end of the lever so as to vary the position thereof, a pair of rotatable cams, means for rotating the speed responsive device and the cams at a speed proportional to the speed of the hoist, means secured to the other end of the floating lever and projecting into the path of the cams whereby the latter will move the end of the lever when they approach a .cer-

tain position in their travel, a rotating shaft, a drum rotatably secured to the shaft, means comprising a clutch mechanism for transferring power from the shaft to the drum, means for connecting the clutch mechanism to the floating lever so that the latter will move the clutch mechanism into and out of operative position and means connected to the drum for controlling a hoist brake.

6. A controller for use with hoists, comprising, in combination, a rotatable shaft adapted to be operatively connected with a hoist so as to rotate whenever the hoist moves, a drum rotatably connected with the shaft, a clutch mechanism associated with the shaft and drum and adapted to transmit power from the shaft to the drum, a cam member mounted for rotation, means for causing the cam to revolve when the shaft rotates and means operated by the cam for moving the clutch mechanism into operative position when the cam reaches a predetermined position.

7. A controller for use with hoists, comprisin in combination, a rotatable shaft adapted to be operatively connected with a hoist so as to rotate whenever the hoist moves, a drum rotatably connected with the shaft, a clutch mechanism associated with the shaft and drum and adapted to transmit power from the shaft to the drum, a cam member mounted for rotation, means for causing the cam to revolve when the shaft rotates, means operated by the cam for moving the clutch mechanism into operative position when the cam reaches a predetermined position and means for releasing the clutch after it has been set by the cam member.

8. A controller for use with hoists, comprising, in combination a rotatable shaft adapted to be operatively connected with a hoist so as to rotate whenever the hoist moves, a drum rotatably connected with the shaft, a clutch mechanism associated with the shaft and drum and adapted to transmit power from the shaft to the drum, a cam member mounted for rotation, means for causing the cam to revolve when the shaft rotates and means operated by the cam for moving the clutch mechanism into 

